Shuttlecock launcher and method for launching

ABSTRACT

A shuttlecock-throwing machine is provided to permit delivery of successive shuttlecocks at different frequencies, trajectories and speeds. The machine includes a shuttlecock dispenser, a feeding mechanism and an ejecting unit. The ejecting unit consists of two motors-driven recoiling counter rotating wheels being fed successively by the feeding mechanism therein gripping the shuttlecock&#39;s cap or nose and propelled the shuttlecock in the path of wheels plane. The shuttlecock dispenser comprising a pair of parallel or spiral bar, spaced apart and set at an incline to queue shuttlecocks with the noses side down over the feeding mechanism. The feeding mechanism consists of a motor-driven four-spoke rotor which draw the shuttlecocks from its dispenser and deliver one by one into the ejecting device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX

[0003] Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention relates to an automatic launching of badminton shuttlecocks at different frequencies, trajectories and speeds to a desire direction of a player. More particularly, this invention relates to the simplicity and reliability for launching shuttlecocks notwithstanding the varying quality and condition of the shuttle, for purposes of recreation, training aid or shuttlecock speed testing.

[0005] A wide variety of ball throwing machines employing counter rotating wheels have been used in the past for activities such as tennis, ping pong, baseball and volley ball practice. These machines propel spherical objects or the like such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,350 and WO9411069 therefore are not suitable for propelling a non spherical object such as a shuttlecock. Although mention is made for the use in the game of badminton on these patents, an adaptation of the device for that purpose is not shown and no claim is sought. Moreover, applying a pair of concave rotating wheels to propel shuttlecock through said gap formed between two concave wheels is not viable due to lack of surface contact available on conical shape projectile such as shuttlecock. Additionally, the mechanism for the delivery of shuttlecock into the gap form between the two concave wheels would require a high degree of mechanical complexity.

[0006] GB2355411 and WO9319822 disclosed shuttlecock throwing apparatus which utilized compressed air to propel shuttlecocks. Such device need some degree of mechanical complexity for loading and positioning the shuttlecock from the magazine into the shooting tube.

[0007] DE3644607, JP1227775, JP1236075, JP7163694 employed swing arms, spring loaded mechanisms or mechanical impact plates to propel the shuttlecock. These prior art machines suffer from the same limitations of operating rigidity, mechanical complexity, high manufacturing cost and relatively high operating cost.

[0008] Both JP9117539 and FR2799133 and all prior art machines employed a hopper tube for having plural shuttles stacked on each other axially, a shuttle transfer mechanism comprising a pair of rotary bodies rotated to each other by a drive source for dropping the shuttle. At the outset these mechanism is complicated and often failed as two or more shuttlecocks tend to stick to one another when stacked and consequently two or more shuttles will be propelled at one time. Another drawback in prior art devices is the inability to cope with lightly worn shuttles-feathers which may impede or prematurely fall into the ejecting mechanism resulting in a miss or accidental launching.

[0009] Likewise, a shuttlecock shooting machine manufacture by Sport & Teknik, Sweden, employed external pneumatic supply and uses a hopper tube to contain stacked shuttles on top of each other. Therefore, there is a need for a device that is inexpensive to manufacture having simpler and improved means for automatically ejecting shuttlecocks in a wide range of trajectories for use in shuttlecock speed grading, recreation or a training aid.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The basic concept of this invention employed a pair of articulated counter rotating wheel for gripping and propelling shuttlecock nose or cap member, a shuttlecock dispenser which positioned shuttlecock led in queue and a loading mechanism which simply pushes the queue shuttlecock into the gap of the rotating wheels whereby causing contact between shuttlecock cap and the ejecting wheels. This invention provides a highly versatile shuttlecock launcher avoiding the foregoing and other shortcomings and disadvantages of prior constructions. Accordingly, it is also the objective of the present invention to provide a launcher that is capable of simulating most of the shuttlecock trajectories experienced in the actual playing of badminton. To achieve the foregoing and other objects and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, a shuttlecock-throwing machine is provided to permit delivery of successive shuttlecocks at different frequency, trajectory and speed in a desire direction of a player's court and which is of relatively simplified construction for economical manufacture and minimum cost of maintenance and repair.

[0011] The foregoing and other objects and advantages of his invention will appear in the cited claims and the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0012] In the annexed drawings:

[0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shuttlecock throwing machine;

[0014]FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

[0015]FIG. 3 illustrates the side elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1; with one base frame remove to reveal the feeding mechanism;

[0016]FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are fragmentary view in side elevation, similar to FIG. 3, showing the wheel plane in various angles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The following is a description and discussion with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that such discussion and description is not meant to unduly limit the scope of the invention.

[0018] The game of badminton does not required spin or curve balls in flight or after bouncing as in tennis or ping pong. In Badminton, shuttlecock is played while still in flight. Therefore, a relatively simple and inexpensive implementation of the invention is herein described.

[0019] The shuttlecock launching machine of this invention include a base member 1,2 preferably made in the form of a moulded plastic or a metal casting for mounting a shuttlecock dispenser 25, a loading mechanism and a pair of ejecting wheel is shown in FIG. 1.

[0020] In the annexed drawings FIG. 2, a pair of motor driven wheel 14,15 spaced over a distance slightly smaller than the diameter of the shuttlecock cap is mounted onto the base frame 1,2. Wheels 14,15 are mounted directly to two standard high speed DC motors 4,5. An electronic speed controller is provided to adjust the rotational speed of motors 4,5. Motor 4 is fasten to a motor housing 13 and a shaft support 9. The shaft support 9 is bolted to an axle 12. A compression spring 10 is inserted on to axle 12 which is then interpose into base frame 1 supported by impregnated bearing 11. An indexed knob 7 having a pin 8 is attached by mean of set screw 19 to axle 12 from the outside of the base frame 1 for manual adjustment and setting of wheel 14,15 gap as well as the rotational plane of wheel 15. An identical procedure is repeated to mount wheel 14 and motor 5 to base frame 2. Base frames 1,2 are therein combined to form an integral unit by any conventional mean of nuts 21,30 and bolts 20,27 combination.

[0021] By merit of the articulated assembly of the ejecting wheels, as described hereinbefore, the rotational plane of the wheels is adjustable through a range of specified angles on the wheel horizontal axis through the rotation of axle 12 by mean of the indexed shaft collar pin 8 affixed to the holes herein provided on the base frame. The adjustments of wheel plane, together with the adjustment of the rotational speed of the ejecting wheels provide a wide range of trajectories and linear velocity of the shuttlecock flight. For example, when the plane of the ejecting wheels is positioned in a horizontal plane as illustrated in FIG. 4, a substantially straight shuttle flight will be delivered from this machine when both wheels are rotated at the same speed. Consequently, with the rotation plane of both wheels tilted upward or downward, the shuttlecock will be ejected corresponding to the wheels plane as illustrated in FIGS. 4,5 and 6.

[0022] Detailed embodiment of the loading mechanism is shown in FIG. 3, consisting of a four-spoke gear 16 driven by a gearmotor 6 or the like is mounted onto the base frame 1 by mean of motor housing plate 18. A DC motor speed controller is also provided for gearmotor 6, allowing for a rotational speed adjustment of the four spoke gear. A time delay or remote switch is also provided to allow player to get into a ready position on the opposite court. The four-spoke gear 16 is positioned between the ejecting wheels 14,15 and below the shuttlecock dispenser 25 as shown in FIG. 3. The tip of the four-spoke gear drives shuttlecock 3 into the direction of the gap between the pair of ejecting wheel 14,15.

[0023] The shuttlecock dispenser 25 consists of a pair of parallel or spiral bar or the like affixed on the top surfaces of base frame 1,2 between the channel forms by base frame 1 and 2, The dispenser 25 slopes into the entrance of the loading rotor 16 mounted on shaft 17 of a DC gearmotor 6 as shown in FIG. 3. Shuttlecocks are placed vertically with the noses end facing down however, subsequent shuttlecocks are led in queued as oppose to stacking on each other axially. A sliding polypropylene block 26 or the like may be added at the highest end of the shuttles to assist the shuttlecocks downward movement when needed.

[0024] An onboard AC to DC power converter and a rechargeable deep cycle battery is herein provided to supply power to the high speed DC motors 4,5 and the gearmotor 6. All of the motors are equipped with a solid state power control circuit operable to switch power on and off many times per second in pulses of variable duration to provide wide-range speed control. Switch 28 is designated for motor 4 and 5, whereas switch 29 will be designated to gearmotor 6. Mounting frame 22 is provided for convenient connection between the integral base frame 1,2 to any conventional adjustable elevated stand 24 secured with knob 23. 

I claim:
 1. A shuttlecock launcher comprising: a) a shuttlecock dispenser having a pair of parallel bar spaced apart smaller than the maximum diameter of shuttlecock, housing a plurality of shuttlecocks led in queued. b) a shuttlecock loading mechanism for retrieving shuttlecocks from the dispenser and feeding one at a time to a pair of ejecting wheel and; (c) a pair of ejecting wheels assembly for gripping and propelling shuttlecock nose or cap member by friction thereby launching the shuttles fed by a loading mechanism said wheels assembly including: means for indexing the pitch of each wheel plane about the wheel horizontal axis; and means for ejecting wheels to recoil laterally at various wheels plane.
 2. The dispenser as claimed in claim 1a, wherein said parallel bars berthing queued shuttlecocks are positioned horizontally or at an incline.
 3. The parallel bars as claimed in claim 2, wherein the bars include straight, spiral or an elongated spiral bar.
 4. The ejecting wheels as defined in claim 1c, consists of frictional material on the circumference of each wheel for engagement with the cylindrical section of a shuttlecock cap or nose member.
 5. The ejecting wheels as claimed in claim 1c, characterized by said recoiling means having a pair of compression spring herein permitting the ejector wheels to act horizontally at various wheels plane.
 6. The ejecting wheels as claimed in claim 1c, characterized by said indexing means is provided for altering the pitch of the ejecting wheels at predetermined pitch and an adjustment for the ejector wheels gap via an indexed knob.
 7. The ejecting wheels as claimed in claim 1c, wherein said device includes a motor speed controller whereby the linear velocity of the ejected shuttlecock is controlled by appropriate adjustment of the motors rotational speed.
 8. The loading mechanism as defined in claim 1b comprises of a four-spoke gear powered by a gearmotor or the like with speed controller for adjustment of its rotational speed to very the frequency of shuttlecocks launch from less than one-second intervals to several minutes between launches.
 9. The shuttlecock launcher of claim 1 wherein the projectile is a natural or synthetic feather shuttlecock for use in the game of badminton.
 10. The shuttlecock launching machine of claim 1 is utilized in single or multiple units simultaneously activated by remote mean or by a microprocessor-based system controlling the sequence and or speed of the gearmotor or the like in a network.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1 includes an onboard AC to DC power converter and a rechargeable deep cycle battery to supply power to the two counter rotating DC motors, the gearmotor and to the electronic motor speed controllers. 